Chinese Souvenir
by graywords-girl
Summary: Kasumi is tired of running. She's not going to anymore. Could this desicion lead to a bonding with a certain younger half-sister?


Chinese Souvenir

* * *

_Author's notes:_ _Hoe!!! I haven't written a DOA fic in a while. I think some of you may have read my first one, _My Sister, Ayane. _Many asked for a sequel to it. I myself felt the story was lacking, or rather begging, for a happy ending. Of course, you don't have to read _My Sister, Ayane_ in order to get this story, but it might help._

_Also, to those of you who did read MSA_ _I do apologize for the little matter of me switching Kasu-chan and Aya-chan's birth date. Please ignore that and understand that in this story, that is fixed and Kasu-chan is older._

_Also, unlike MSA, this will be in third-person perspective._

* * *

She didn't move. She could clearly make out the purple-hair and dark outfit, but she still did not move. A soft wind blew her cinnamon hair around her, as it had fallen out of its ribbon. Her hazel eyes were clouded over, and she stood in the middle of the clearing, unmoving.

The figure landed easily in front of her, but she still made no move to run. Kasumi was tired. She was tired of running. Tired of fighting. But most of all, she was tired of being hated. She didn't want to be hated by her brother. And she certainly didn't want to be hated by her half-sister. And she had decided, right then and there, standing in that same position, that wasn't going to run or fight anymore. One who never knew her would say she had lost hope. But it was the exact opposite.

She had found hope.

Ayane stood and blinked her dark eyes. Smirking, she pointed a slender finger at the woman before her and spoke, "You're not going to run?"

At Kasumi's lack of response, she snorted, "I don't blame you. In fact, I almost pity you. Being hunted by those you once thought cared for you, it must be hard… even for you."

At that, Kasumi felt her anger swell. She never let her eyes leave the ground, and spoke softly, but there was fierceness in her voice that almost startled Ayane, "They _still _care for me."

Ayane looked at her half-sister, and for the first time since they had arrived at the clearing, Kasumi raised her eyes from the ground and matched gazes with Ayane, expecting a glare. But what she found startled her.

There was softness in her eyes that Kasumi thought had disappeared long ago. It was almost compassionate. And Kasumi couldn't, for once, see the hatred she had grow accustomed to.

"I… know." Ayane muttered, casting her eyes down. Kasumi felt her head spinning with questions, but one forced its way to the surface of the others. Why was Ayane acting so odd? "I could never take your place. The people still compare me to you, even though you are gone.

"I have tried. I really have. I tried to convince Hayate that you held no place in his heart any longer." Kasumi could see Ayane's eye begin to glitter. "But still, every time he sends a few from the clan out after you, I see a pained look in his eyes." She looked up, and the tears slipped down her cheeks. Her voice rose angrily. "Even in exile you are still the better of us!"

Kasumi tried to think of something to say. She knew that Ayane had always been jealous of her tight bond with Hayate. Ayane was competitive. She always had been. But this wasn't a matter of being better. It was a matter of attention. Kasumi, as a child, had been showered with affection and love from everyone. Hayate, Hayabusa, even random people. But for every person that love is given to, another is forgotten. Ayane had been that one.

Kasumi had tried to make it up to Ayane as a child. She had spent much time with her half-sister, playing games and inviting her to go with her on some random task. But, even though they had been close as children, Ayane had always held a small ball of resentment towards her older sister.

Before Kasumi could speak, Ayane did. "I will make this quick, as Hayate is awaiting my results." She acted as though nothing had happened. "Prepare yourself, Kasumi. I'm not going to hold back."

She took position. But still, Kasumi didn't move. Instead, she asked a question, "Why?"

Ayane was momentarily caught off guard. "W-what?"

"Why?" Kasumi suddenly felt her own wave of emotion begin to surface, but she didn't hold it back. "Why do you hate me? Why must we fight? Why can't we just spend one day and forget? Why?"

She felt her knees quiver, a sensation that seemed to appear when ever she felt she was about to cry. 'Atsui Kimochi' Hayate had called it. _A heated sensation, caused by strong emotions. _

"Forget?" Ayane muttered. "How can I forget? How?"

"…Kill me, Ayane."

Ayane stood, frozen. What had she said? "What?"

"Kill me." Kasumi clenched her fist. This was it, the final test. If Ayane really felt the hatred she thought she did, the simple task of killing her would be nothing. Ayuane made no move. She needed to be pushed more. It was highly out of character, but Kasumi had to know.

"Kill me! You want me gone, don't you? Do it! Kill me, Ayane! Kill me!"

Ayane trembled, and then let out a cry, pitching forward, she pulled back her fist and swung it forward. Kasumi squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the blow. It never came.

Ayane had stopped her fist centimeters from her face. Her arm trembled, and tears fell freely from her eyes. She felt her legs begin to give way, and she whimpered slight. She bit her lower lip stubbornly. "I-I can't…"

Kasumi trembled her self, and she nervously flexed her fingers. This could be a trick, and with Ayane so close, a killing blow would be simple. But when she looked into her younger sister's eyes, all she could see was pure emotion.

Without warning, Ayane fell forward and wrapped her skinning arms around Kasumi's waist, burying her face in the soft material of her outfit. Kasumi gently wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and they sunk to the ground slowly. Ayane cried harder than she had ever before.

Kasumi gently stroked her hair, muttering soothing words and then began to hum a tuneless melody. Ayane cried so hard, she found her eyes became heavy, and soon found herself asleep.

* * *

Ayane woke with a start, and uncertainty rose up in her. She sat up quickly, her reflexes taking action. What she saw surprised her briefly.

Kasumi was sitting beside her, watching the jumping flames of a fire. And then, the previous events came back to her.

"K-Kasumi?"

Kasumi moved her eyes to look at her, and Ayane saw a comfort in them that she didn't think was real. Kasumi had let her guard down, with Ayane in her presence. Was she really that confident in her sister?

"Imoto…" Kasumi muttered, smiling softly. Ayane found herself smiling at the affectionate name. She hadn't heard it in so long. Kasumi lightly patted the spot next her, and Ayane took a seat.

"I-I don't know what to do…" Ayane said after a moment of silence. Kasumi looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean? You're going to go back to Hayate and report to him."

"But what do I say? That I spent the night with my half-sister, whom I'm supposed to kill?"

"I would prefer it if you told him I was dead…"

A pregnant silence drifted past them. After a moment, Ayane spoke.

"Hayate is smart. He would want proof of your demise."

Kasumi sighed, and nodded. Gently, she reached back and pulled her ribbon out. She handed it tenderly to Ayane, a soft smile on her lips. "This ribbon means a lot to me. You know that. And so does Hayate. This should satisfy him."

Ayane nodded and took the ribbon. She gazed at it for a moment, and felt its soft texture. Finally, she put it away and looked at Kasumi.

"But what will you do?"

Kasumi found herself smiling. "Do you remember Lei-Fang?" At Ayane's nod, she proceeded. "I met up with her a little while ago in Tokyo. Lord knows what she's doing in Japan. But she offered me a place to stay in China with her family. After I rest up there for a while, I think I'm going to try and find Ryu."

"Hayabusa?" Ayane exclaimed, her eyes widening. "But why? He's Hayate's best friend!"

Kasumi shrugged. "He made a promise to my brother a while ago about protecting me. I want to see if he'll be willing to keep it."

Ayane smiled softly. "Will we ever see each other again?"

Kasumi nodded. "I think so. But not at anymore Dead or Alive tournaments. If Hayate thinks I'm dead, I can't just show up from the grave to fight."

Ayane sighed. Looked up at the sky, she sighed. "I need to leave by sun up, or else Hayate may get suspicious." She looked at Kasumi. Her sister held what looked like an expression of disappointment. Apparently, she had also hoped to be able to explore they're newly formed bond as well.

Sighing, Ayane leaned over and rested her head on Kasumi's shoulder. "I'm going to miss our fights, Kasu-chan. They were great practice." She paused slightly, trying to think of something to lighten the mood. "Bring me back a souvenir from China?"

Kasumi laughed. They still had a few hours until the sun came up. They could get a _little_ talking done in that time.

* * *

_Author's notes: YAY! I did it! And all in one sitting! Hee Actually, I've had this story in my head for a while; I just decided to put it down on paper. As you can tell, the title came from what Ayane said at the end._

_I dunno, something about this story is off a bit. Sorry if it's a little OOC._

_Ja♥_


End file.
